I want to start by saying how crazy it is that I started by searching “social media” and ended with “dentist”. This assignment was fairly simple because all I had to do was read and then follow my interests. Choosing the links was really easy, I just started reading and then when I came across a link that I found interesting, I followed it to the next interesting thing I could find. I think the links I chose, show that sometimes I have a hard time staying on topic or focused when something more interesting comes along. However, my searching and “losing focus” landed me in a great spot. Dentistry is the field I am currently pursuing, so I do not think I could have ended my search in a more perfect spot. In a way, it’s like my computer knows me and my interests; we worked together by me choosing an interest and then the computer showed me a bunch or results and new links connected to my previous interest. Can I imagine starting with social media and getting to dentistry without the help of my computer? Absolutely not! I would never have thought that there was much of a connection in researching social media and dentistry. I think in a way, we were both in charge of this exploration. Yes, my interests and thoughts led to the ending result, but without the computer producing all of those extra links, I would probably still currently be looking at the “social media” page on Wikipedia.

10 thoughts on “Associative Trail”

I started by searching “social media” too, but I ended with “packet drop attack”.
” In a way, it’s like my computer knows me and my interests” I think it’s not your computer knows you, but you know yourself. Every link you picked is base on your interest i guess. So thats why you ended up with something you are pursing. I’m the same. I picked what i’m interested in and ended with something I am curious about.

I like how your associative trail ends with what you want to do as a career, I think that’s pretty neat. It really makes you think of how these associative trails can go in the directions you least expect them to!

Do you want to work in the field of science? You ended up at dentistry. I want to be an oral surgeon. It also seems to me that you have interest in the youth and their education. Your search seems to be a more practical one.

I wouldn’t say you have a hard time focusing but that you like to follow what interests you. A lot of us started with social media or digital media and ended up in completely different pages. I’m sure if your major was computer science or something similar you would have had a search more similar to Jaffey’s.

I find really cool and oddly fascinating how you still ended up with your passion when you started with social media. By the way it’s interesting that we all have a strong interest with social media considering how many of us has either facebook or snapchat in our trails. As a Psychology major I liked that you encountered Psychology and parenting styles. I guess you never really did “lose focus” in your trail.